We Survived!!!!!!

Well we all survived the first week back to school!!! The first week was very long for all of us. We were not used to getting up so early.  I actually prefer when the school year starts and the students are only there for 3 days.  That is a nice way to ease back into it.  However, we survived the full week back.

Makenna is loving her new teacher for grade 5, Mrs. Gordon. She has also signed up for Atomic Volleyball afterschool on Wednesdays for the next 8 weeks. It is a grade 5/6 program ran by one of the highschool coaches I work with.  I am really excited for her to give volleyball a try. She usually is pretty hesistant to try new things but actually it only took a couple days to presuade her to join and she seems pretty excited about it now.

Rhiannon has Mrs. Simons for grade 2 this year. Mrs. Simons taught Makenna kindergarten and we all loved her so I am sure Rhiannon will have a great year this year.

Jorja was counting down the first day to kindergarten for the last month so I was hoping she would have a great first day... and she did! She loves being in Mr. Lorenz's room. She enjoys riding the bus with her big sisters. Everyday she comes home with a new story to tell about her day... she is so adorable!

Shallen (and Jorja every second day) is going to a new sitter this year.  Shallen had a little cry when I dropped her off the first day at Erin's house, which is to be expected after spending everyday in July and August with momma. However, now she seems to have settled right in there. Jorja is loving it there too. They play outside a lot which my kids are pretty used to since we are out on the farm and camping all summer. 

My "adopted" daughter, Lily, also started kindergarten at White Fox School.  I phoned and talked to her before she got on the bus on her first day and she was SOOOO nervous, but when I was talking to her afterschool she had so many stories about what she did at school and all the things she learned.  She is also going to Erin's house parttime so she and Jorja still get to hang out a couple days a week... they are so lucky to have each other!

As for me... I am BEAT!  I have not taught four straight hours of grade eight before.  It is draining!  I have seem to have a nice bunch of kids in my class this year, however, I am teaching Math 8.  Not only am I math challenged, it is a new curriculum so it is very different than when I taught Math 8 in my first year of teaching in 1998!!!  Luckily, I have Grade 12 English at the end of the day for the last hour.  It is the class that helps me wind down at the end of the day.  It is also a bonus that it is full of students that had in my grade 8 homeroom 4 years ago... it is amazing how much they have changed, yet, how much they are still the same.  Does that even make sense???  Anyway, I am enjoying spending time with them.

Next week begins the afterschool activities and that is when it really gets crazy... but that is a whole other blog post! ;)

Now we are ready for the long weekend, full of family, food and football!!! We are invading mom and dad at the cabin tomorrow sometime and staying until Monday.... ahhhhhhhhhh... I can't wait!!!! 

The Girls' "New" house!!!

Back in June a friend of mine from work was talking in the staff room about getting rid of her old playhouse.  I had been looking for a playhouse for the girls and I thought this one would be perfect so I pulled out my cheque book.  Finally a couple days ago Mike figured out how to get the heavy wooden structure out to us.  It needs a little TLC since we did a little damage moving it and it is 13 years old BUT all that really matters is that the girls LOVE it!

Home Sweet Home!

Garfield wants in.... shutters need some work.

Didn't take them long to move in!

Shallen likes it... It is just her size!

Isn't she cute!

HillTop Hillbillies.....

Our summer of camping at the HillTop Campground at Tobin Lake with the Hayes family was wonderful this year.  We were not too sure about the location of a our campsite since we were situated right across from the store and the playground.  This was great for the kids but a more private location might have been more beneficial for the adults ;)  In the end we did enjoy being able to watch the kids as they made their way safely back and forth from the park.

While we were camping, we had lots of visitors.  Mike's Aunt Lorna and Uncle Lyle from Chilliwack B.C. came out for a barbeque when they were home for homecoming in Nipawin.  Dean, Kerry, Dayen, & Jaden Spice all came and hung out with us for a week or so... they enjoyed themself so much that they came back the next weekend and pulled their camper onto our campsite... yep, we definately looked like hillbillies!!! But we had lots of fun!!!

Jaden and Shallen "sharing" chips!

We had some very nice weather in July. When we weren't on the boat with Captain Cory, we spend the nice days on the beach. At the beginning of the summer Shallen would not leave the blanket because the sand felt too weird on her feet. However, once she got used to it she was out there with the other kids building sandcastles and making mud!

Lily and Rhiannon making a Hot Tub!

Brrrrrrr!!!!!!

Cohen found something interesting!

     

On the last day that Cory was there to drive the boat, after all the kids were done tubing and kneeboarding, Andrea and I decided to go double tubing behind the boat. Yes, we think we are still young.  It ended up that I was able to push Andrea off her tube a few times and she was sure that her tube was to blame so we decided to trade tubes.  As we were switching tubes at the boat and I was climbing up the ladder at the back of the boat my feet slipped and I fell off the boat and kicked the motor some how.  Anyway, long story short.... I ended up with 5 stitches and was unable to go in the water for the last week of the camping trip... oh well.  One of the hot days, the little girls and I had a waterfight at the campground since I was still unable to walk the hill down to the beach.

On the second last day of camping, Rhiannon came running from the park with her hand covering her mouth. Of course I thought the worst but she had just lost her loose tooth! Isn't she cute???

Smile!!!!!

It was a sad day when we had to leave the lake. No one wanted to go home, especially Lily.  She had slept almost every night in our trailer and we had basically made a straight trade: Andrea had Makenna in her camper and we got Lily. (we thought we got a good deal)  We called Lily our adopted daughter/sister and she called me "auntie-mom".... Poor Lily was so sad when she had to go back to her real mom's house! hee hee!

We are so so so very lucky to get to spend so much quality time with our sisters, cousins, aunties, uncles and grandparents... we can't wait to do it again next summer.  We just need to remember to book our sites at the beginning of March!

Oh and as for my summer reading... I got 18 of the 19 books read on my reading list. I just did not get to Three Cups of Tea.  And I did end up reading one extra book Sh*t my Dad Says which is a funny read although it is quite vulgar in places. So I ended up reading 19 books this summer. Guess it is time for me to start stockpiling books for next summer!!!!

I guess that is it when it comes to our summer adventures. We don't stray too far but we enjoy every minute of the family time that we get.  Summer holidays makes me appreciate my job so much more!  And when I am stressed during the school year I must remember all the fun and relaxation that I get to enjoy during the summertime. It is a time I do not take forgranted.

Tales from the Fireside....

Throughout the month of camping at Tobin Lake we spent many nights around the fire or around the TV that we set on the picnic table to watch the Rider Games.  It seemed that during these times people became very philosophical.  You know, the best thoughts come from a slightly inebriated mind!

The big winner of the best sayings of the summer was Cory.  Now you need to know that Cory is a man of few words, however,  he seemed to be able to most eloquently put his thoughts into words... after a few beverages of course!

We had some extremely nice days when we were at Tobin Lake and there were many times when Cory could be heard exclaiming "Not a breath of wind.... Let's get the boat... There's not a breath of wind!".  Of course once we picked up on that phrase we tried to use it as much as possible... much to Cory's delight.

"Now don't get me wrong, I love the guy but...."  Yep, we love Cory but there always seemed to be a "but" to all his stories AND don't get him wrong... he loves the guy.... but not in that way! ;)

As all guys know there is always time for a good fish story and one of Cory's best stories was said late at night around the fire.... after a few beverages of course ;) It seemed that as they were trolling for pike they were turning the boat and Cory was sure that there was just going to be a "conglomeration of fish hooks".  Now not only was it funny that Cory used such a big word so late at night, it was funny since he said it with 3 slightly drunk English teachers sitting there. Dad said "oh my, that was a 5 syllable word!!!!!", Denise said "he even used it properly" and Andrea said "is that even a word!".... hee hee!!!  Yep, poor Cory was trying out his vocabulary and all we could do was bug him!!!

We could always tell how the day was going to go by Cory's greeting in the morning after the breakfast dishes were done.  If he said "Not a breath of wind" we knew we were going boating.... If he said nothing but disappeared into the trailer we knew he was still hung over.... BUT if he came to the table, put down his rum bottle and said "Let's DRRRRRRRRRRRRRRINK" then we knew we were in for a long day!

Now as I said before we spent a couple nights around the TV which we put on the table outside to watch the Riders play. Luckily at the Tobin Hilltop Campground they have cable tv at each site... yep, we were roughing it!!!  Well, during the Riders games the guys like to drink Beergaritas (which is some kind of beer, lime and tequila concoction) which they seemed to enjoy.  However, the next day Cory described the beergarita feeling with these words "Those beergaritas... they just paralyze me!!!"  And yep, looking back on that night Cory did seem kind of paralyzed!!

Now that I am back at home and my liver is some what recovering, I think that my dad says it best "Who has more fun than people!!!" 

Oh and my mom wanted me to correct one of her sayings I used in a previous blog entry.... "Life isn't fair.... but that's the way it is" (Andrea thinks that phrase came from the old 80's movie The Never Ending Story... )

We're going to the fair!!!!

Ok... so I know I am a good month behind on blogging but I really enjoyed camping without much technological interference this year.  I didn't even take the laptop with me... I know you are all shocked!!!

Anyway, I am going to "quickly" update you all on our very relaxing summer!

After we left Pasquia Park, we had a week at home then out to Tobin Lake Resort for a month of camping.  During this time the fair hit Nipawin.  Uncle John, Auntie Allison, and Robyn were even home for it!

 It was great fun since there were lots of people to go from ride to ride with the kids.  We also had an extra kid too!!!  Heather sent Cohen here with Uncle John which worked out great since Rhiannon and Lily could ride together and Cohen and Jorja could ride together.

I don't have any pictures of many of the big kids (other than you can see Kingsley riding the Rollercoaster with the little ones) since they were on the big rides.  They had a blast too. No one got sick although Makenna looked pretty green at one time!

Poor Shallen didn't get to ride on any of the fair rides but she did get to ride in the stroller and have a ride and sleep on my back.  Most of her day was spent watching the bigger kids ride.

And the best part of the whole day was being able to spend the whole day with the birthday girl!  It was Auntie Andrea's 33rd birthday!!!  The kids thought that going to the fair was the best birthday party ever!!